Wringer



:11 www Y E R F D O G v E WRINGER Original fined May 10, 1950 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Sept; 3, 1935 WRINGER EarlV. Godfrey; Girard Township, Erie001mm I Pa., assignor to Lovell Manufacturing Company,

' Erie, Pa.,acorporation of Pennsylvania :ApplicationMay 10, 1930,Serial No. 451,436

i Renewed-July 9, 19 32., M

Power driven clothes wringers present difficulty as to:the safety of theoperator. Efforts have been madehto minimize this by providing. suchwringers with release devioesby meansof which the \pressure on the rollsmay be instantly released in order to minimize the injury to the handsofan operator caught between the rolls. Deviceshave also been provided forshutting off the driving mechanism so as to prevent the continuedturning of the rolls as this may cause injury even though the pressureis released through the abrasive action of the rolls. The presentinvention is designed to improve such devices, particularly the devicesfor controlling the driving mechanism, and in the preferred form havingspecialreference to the relation of such tures and details of theinvention will appear from the specification and claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawing as follows 5- Fig. 1 shows a front elevation of awringer with the power mechanism therefor shown in outline.

Fig. 2 an end View of the wringer showing the switch mechanism.

Fig. 3 a section on the line 33 in Fig. l.

Fig. 4 a section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1 viewed toward the top.

Fig. 5 a section on the line 5-5 in Fig. 2.

The wringer frame has a base I and side stiles 2. Rolls 3 and 4 aremounted in the frame in the usual manner. A spring 5 exerts pressure onthe rolls. A top bar 6 extends across the side stiles. The releasedevice comprises a sleeve 1 which extends through an opening 8 in thetop bar.

The opening 8 has extending slots 9. The sleeve 1 is provided withlooking shoulders H] which are adapted to pass through the slots 9 whenturned in register therewith. The shoulders operate in connection withcams II at the edges of the opening 8 on the under-side of the top bar6. Handles l2 are arranged on the sleeve and when the shoulders ID areon the cams H with pressure on the spring 5 the handle I2 extendsparallel to the top ,bar of the wringer. A screw 52a extends through thesleeve by means of which the tension on the spring may be adjusted.

which are connected with posts [8 from which wires I8a extend to a motorl9. This snap switch .2 Claims. 68-32) the face of the wringer.

is, of ordinary construction; It has axU-shaped .bridgeplate 20 pivotedon pins ,2]. A reversing pin 22 is pivotally mounted by means of a pin23 on a slide 24. The pin 22. extends through an opening 25 in thebridge plate and a spring 26, is 5 tensioned between the bridge plateand the base of the pin 22. Push pins 2] and 28 extend from the slide24. As the pin 28 is depressed the slide it is moved so as to carry thepivot 23 beyond the pivot 2! and the tensioning of the spring snaps 1the bridge plate out of engagement with the contacts. A reverse movementsnaps the bridge plate into contact.

The safety bars have extensions 29 which project over the pin 28 so thatas either safety bar is moved inwardly the inner end of the extension 29moves downwardly thus operating the pin 28 to open the switch. Likewiseextensions 30 at the lower end of the safety bars extend under the pin27 and with an upward movement of the 20 safety bars are moved upwardlyso as to re-set the switch.

The wringer may be provided with any. convenient connecting mechanismbetween the motor and the drive roll. As shown the drive roll has abeveled gear 32 meshing with a beveled gear 33. The beveled gear 33 ismounted on a shaft 34 which carries a beveled gear 35. A beveled gear 36meshes with the beveled gear 35 and is mounted on a shaft 36c. A gear 31is mounted on the shaft 36a and meshes with apinion 38 carried by adriving shaft 39 of the motor.

It will be noted that the safety bars extend along the top of thewringer in position to be actuated by an operator. It will be understoodthat an operator caught by the rolls usually acts somewhat as in a panicand the instinctive thing to do is to hit at the safety bar so that thein- Ward movement is of importance in asuring this movement. Further thehandle of the safety re- 40 lease is adjacent to the safety bar so thatwith the same movement the handle of the safety release may be actuatedand by a movement of the hand of the operator in the same direction asthe safety bar. The bar should be near enough 5 the top of the wringerso that the upper part of the hand of the operator extends somewhat overthe top of the top bar. Thus the operator instinctively thrusting thehand forward can operate the top bar without undue interference from soThe instinctive act of the operator also ordinarily reaches for thewringer in a mannerv to resist the inpulling of the caught hand and hereagain the position of the bail so as to intercept the hand as beingplaced forward toward the frame for this purpose is desirable. It isalso very desirable that the bite of the wringer shall be clearly andcompletely visible to the operator standing in the normal position forfeeding the wringer. The critical point of observation for the operatoris the bite itself and if this view is obstructed the danger of catchingthe hand is increased. With the present device and with the top barextending above the roll this visibility is not obstructed andconsequently the operator can with greater safety operate the wringer.It will be noted that the rendering inoperative of the power means, orthe pressure exerting meanswill, 'to a large extent, prevent furtherinjury to an operator caught in the rolls. While I have shown the safetybars as operating a safety device by rendering inoperative the powerdriven means I do not wish to be understood as limited in the broaderphases of my invention to the particular safety device which; may beoperated through safety bars 10- .catedand operating as in applicantsstructure.

What I claim as new is:-

1. In a wringer, the combination of a frame comprising a top bar; rollsin the frame; a power driving means for the rolls; means puttingpressure on the rolls; a release device for releasing pressure on therolls; a handle on the release device extending along the top bar; anddevices rendering the power-driving means inoperative comprising a barextending across the wringer frame adjacent to the handle of the releasedevice and operable with the handle by a single one-way movement of ahand of an operator.

2. In a wringer, the combination of a frame comprising a top bar; rollsin the frame; a pow- ,er driving means for the rolls; means for puttingpressure on the rolls; a release device for releasing pressure on therolls; a handle on the release device extending along the top bar; anddevices rendering the power-driving means inoperative comprising a barextending across the 'wringer frame adjacent to the handle of therelease device and operative with a movement in the same direction asthe movement of the handle in actuating the release device whereby thebar is operable with the handle by a single oneway movement of a hand ofan operator.

EARL V. GODFREY.

